UK Theatre Network

On 2nd March, I was treated to an evening of entertainment at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury in the form of the Evgennii Panfilov Russian State Ballet’s production of ‘The Big Ballet’

The programme described The Big Ballet as ‘a show like no other in the world’ and I have to agree with this wholeheartedly, although I say that maybe not for the same reasons as Panfilov intended.

As a young man, Evgenii Panfilov, the show’s choreographer, secured his position as one of the most influential choreographers in Russian Ballet. Never one to shy away from controversy, Panfilov decided that he was going to prove two things to the world; firstly, that people of a larger build are able to move with similar grace, dignity and flare as traditional dancers, and secondly, that he would be able to create a ballet troupe out of dancers with no previous dance experience.

As I sat in the auditorium waiting for the show to start, I felt optimistic and intrigued by the possibilities of what I was about to see. Little was I to know that what I would witness would go above and beyond anything I could have predicted as the show was definitely not what I expected.

The first act was described as an ironic comedy parody of the famous ballet, ‘Swan Lake’.

Despite being a ballet lover and having training in the discipline myself from an early age, it soon became apparent that I was not familiar enough with the original story of  ‘Swan Lake’ to be able to fully understand or appreciate the commentary ‘The Big Ballet’ was trying to make. To this end, ‘The Big Ballet’ fell under the common ballet production curse of not being obviously accessible due to its audience not necessarily being familiar with the narrative of the story beforehand.

The other thing that immediately struck me as a little strange was the fact that, although all of the cast were generously built women in their own right, all of the chorus members were also wearing full padded body suits to make them all a uniform size. I found this slightly odd for a production that said it was hoping to support a positive view of heavier built women and to value the individual.

As stated in the programme, it was obvious at some intervals that not all of the dancers were classical trained. This did not seem to matter however as the cast attacked the choreography with humour, conviction and strong characterisation. The highlight of the act was definitely the iconic reinvention of the famous ‘Dance of the Cygnets’.

The second act saw The Big Ballet dancers joined on stage by the svelte and consistently bare-chested male dancers of the modern ballet troupe, ‘Fighting Club’ Dance Company, intended to provide a stark visual contrast. However, the contrast between the male and female dancers’ size and physique was not as vast as the contrast between the content of the second act itself, compared to the first.

After the interval, the pace and style of the show changed beyond recognition as the audience was presented with a manic, camp and sexually charged romp through a cornucopia of different dance styles and themes. The music selection was nothing less than what you would expect from any major American or London gay club, with the act opening with The Village People’s classic ‘Go West’ and featuring other notable tracks by Robbie Williams, Shirley Bassey, Mary Hopkin and Jennifer Lopez amongst others.

As for the dances that accompanied the music, as an audience member you simply didn’t know what to expect next as the following 45 minutes incorporated everything from a highly patriotic tribute to the strength of Russia, break dancing, spandex wearing sailors, strip tease belly dancers and dominatrix bondage bikers and their overly effeminate male counterparts. The only guarantee was that, no matter what was about to appear on stage next, it would incorporate lively music, dazzlingly colourful and flamboyant costumes and a stage full of dancers actively and visibly enjoying themselves.  

For me, the highlight of the evening was an impassioned and angst-filled solo by one of the male dancers, fearlessly and contemporarily performed to Robbie Williams haunting track ‘Love Somebody’. My only disappointment from this number, and generally in relation to the male dancers’ choreography, was the absence of any of the soaring and awe-inspiring jumps that you so often associate with male ballet dancers. Despite the dancers’ obviously evident physical strength, no big jumps sadly ever materialised.

In terms of pure technique, I feel that the young male dancers did sadly slightly overshadow the women, despite them only being featured in the second half of the show. However, the winning ingredient of the whole evening was the residual humour and dedicated yet fun loving nature that was so clearly apparent throughout all of the female dancers’ performances. This attitude encapsulates everything that Panfilov was trying to achieve with ‘The Big Ballet’ and therefore I feel that I can say that the show was a success.

Reviewed by:
Vicky Poole